This section provides knowledge and understanding of Electricity, what flows in circuits, there different varieties of electrical components and how they can be connected together to make potentially complicated circuits
Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter everywhere. Understanding the difference in the microstructure of conductors, semiconductors and insulators makes it possible to design components and build electric circuits. Many circuits are powered with mains electricity, but portable electrical devices must use batteries of some kind.
Electrical power fills the modern world with artificial light and sound, information and entertainment, remote sensing and control. The fundamentals of electromagnetism were worked out by scientists of the 19th century. However, power stations, like all machines, have a limited lifetime. If we all continue to demand more electricity this means building new power stations in every generation – but what mix of power stations can promise a sustainable future?
The different areas of this topic are outlined here;
- Circuit symbols
- Electrical current
- Series & Parallel circuits
- Resistance and Ohm’s Law
- Experimenting with Resistance
- I-V characteristics
- Thermistors and Light Dependent Resistors
- Resistors in series and parallel
- Alternating current and direct current (AC DC)
- Work done on a charged particle
- Electrical power
- The National grid
- Static electricity (T)
- Uses and dangers of static electricity (T)
- Electric fields (T)
Please remember that you started your GCSEs in year 9 and also learnt material in years 7 and 8 which led into this topic.